Modern digitally encoded media such as digital video discs (DVDs) typically include additional interactive material over and above the basic video program or movie. Examples of this additional interactive material include “behind the scenes” footage, commentary, special effects and the like (i.e., secondary material). This additional material is accessed using a remote control to navigate a series of menu choices, either directly from within the main show (i.e., the primary material) or from an initial starting screen. In either case, however, the structure of the menu tree and the quantity and nature of the choices offered are defined by data on the removable media, and not on the playback hardware, i.e., the DVD player when discussing DVDs. Further, the format of the digital medium is predetermined and generally standard to be operable on a multitude of players by various manufacturers.
Accordingly, the sequence of remote control keystrokes required to access a “chapter” directly, to view additional information about a particular scene, to obtain a biography of a cast member, etc., varies from disc to disc though the format, such as the table of contents location on the disc may (or may not) be standard. In previous consumer electronic systems menu choices were largely predetermined by the playback hardware. This was satisfactory because most media did not have secondary material and thus, a fixed menu format was adequate. However, in the case of newer digitally encoded media, the keystrokes necessary to access any given feature or set of features will change from disc to disc (i.e., from removable digital media to removable digital media).
For example, in the currently specified DVD-video format, the content of a disk is made up of titles (each title being a major division of disk content such as a movie, feature, album, etc.) and chapters (parts of movies, songs, etc.). A typical movie DVD thus might include the movie itself, a theatrical trailer and actor biographies as three separate titles, with the long movie and the biographies further subdivided into chapters for direct access to particular sections. Almost all disks will include a main menu from which the desired title is selected. Each title can then also have a title menu, and if required, additional sub-menus. Each menu page display consists of a single-frame graphic (in fact, limited motion is possible in some areas) overlayed with up to 36 highlightable rectangular “buttons.” These menus are navigated using four “arrow keys” and a “select” button on the remote control. The exact number, position, and function of the “buttons” on each page and the way in which the various menu pages are linked together is entirely under the control of the producer of the disc. The definition of each button includes four directional links to up to four other buttons on the screen corresponding to four arrow buttons on the remote control. Conventional remotes do not support more than four directions. This limits the links a disc producer can tie to any given mode. These links are not, however, required to correlate the physical layout of the buttons to a corresponding directional position displayed on screen—so complex networks of navigational relationships are possible. Also, while access to additional functions such as freeze, step, scan, camera angle select, etc., may be generically supported by the DVD player's remote control system, these features may be selectively enabled and disabled by the producer of the disc. (Note, for example, that many DVD movie discs will not allow the viewer to “fast forward” or skip past the opening FBI warning screen.) Therefore, it is no longer practical for a user to program frequently used operations onto a single key in the form of fixed sequences of commands (e.g., so called “macro” functions as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,959,751, incorporated herein by reference, and others). Other patents and applications of interest, which are particularly relevant to remote control technology and are incorporated herein by reference, include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,515,052; 5,414,426; 5,255,313; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/418,091 filed Oct. 14, 1999.
Pat. '052 discloses a universal remote control with function synthesis. The remote control comprises driver circuitry for communicating code signal generation sequences including a code generated command signal followed by a code setting signal; and memory for storing information therein. Pat. '426 discloses a favorite key macro command and chained macro command in a remote control. The remote control comprises an entry/definition program and memory for enabling a user of the remote control to define a macro for selecting at least one favorite channel by entry of a series of keystrokes on the keyboard. The remote also includes a playback program in memory for enabling an operator to affect rapid selection of at least one favorite channel of the consumer electronic device to be controlled upon subsequent depression of the macro key. Pat. '313 discloses a universal remote control system having a signal generator to transmit signals which will cause specific functions to occur in specific controlled devices. Pat. App. Ser. No. '091 also discloses means and methods for operating a remote control.
The present invention improves on device, channel and menu control, and navigation associated with the prior art.